Which version of LeBron James is best?

Throughout his 19-year NBA career, LeBron James has donned multiple teams' jerseys while on a quest to be one of the greatest to ever play the game. It's safe to say he's accomplished that goal.

But which version of James has been the best? We rank each one below.

5. Olympics LeBron

For simplicity's sake, we're only factoring in James' performance at the Olympics. We're leaving out other international competitions like the FIBA Americas, the FIBA World Cup, or any exhibition contests.

With two gold medals and a bronze under his belt, James was no slouch when he joined Team USA. Yet, statistically speaking, it isn't anywhere close to the best version of himself.

That's not to say that James was a pushover at the Olympics. His presence alone commanded significant attention from opponents, allowing teammates over the years such as Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, and Carmelo Anthony to rack up buckets instead. And while he never led the Olympic national team in scoring, James showed off a propensity to set up others. He led Team USA in assists per game at the 2012 tournament with 5.6 and ranked second to Chris Paul in 2008 with 3.8.

James' debut Olympics, Athens 2004, was his quietest. However, the then-19-year-old phenom had only just come off his rookie NBA season and made all his Team USA appearances off the bench.

4. First Cavs stint

After years of feverish fanfare about a basketball prodigy from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, the Cavaliers drafted James first overall in 2003, giving him the opportunity to live up to the hype in his home state.

James didn't just deliver on expectations; he shattered them.

While it took him three seasons to take Cleveland back to the playoffs for the first time since 1998, James proved he was the real deal early on, winning Rookie of the Year and putting up 26.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game through his first three seasons. He lifted the Cavaliers back to relevance almost single-handedly, helping increase the team's win total from 35 to 50 by his third year.

After getting a taste of the postseason in 2006, James never missed it again in Cleveland. Across a combined four playoff trips from 2006-10, he scored 29.3 points per game to go with 8.4 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and one block. He also made the first NBA Finals of his career in 2007, leading the Cavaliers to a championship showdown against the San Antonio Spurs but failing to avoid a sweep.

3. Lakers LeBron

A few down seasons and a slow rebuild in Hollywood were almost immediately forgotten the moment James put pen to paper on a four-year, $154-million deal with the Lakers in 2018.

However, after a significant groin injury on Christmas Day derailed James' first season in L.A., the franchise turned itself on its head, sending out nearly all of its young stars - including Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball - in order to pair LeBron with star forward Anthony Davis.

The bet paid off. Despite James being on the wrong side of 30, he registered a league-best and career-high 10.2 assists per contest in his second year with the Lakers as L.A. claimed its first title in a decade.

Although the Lakers didn't even make the play-in this past season, James averaged 30.3 points - his highest mark since his third campaign - and added 8.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks. All this despite playing in his 19th NBA campaign.

2. Return to Cleveland

After taking care of business for a few years elsewhere - more on that in a bit - James opted to return home in 2014 to wrap up some loose ends. In an essay announcing the decision, as told to Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins, James laid out his vision for his second tenure in Cleveland.

"My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question," he said. "But what's most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio."

James stayed true to his word. While the Cavaliers fell just short in his first season back, losing 4-2 in The Finals to the Golden State Warriors, he took "The Land" to the promised land in Year 2, helping Cleveland erase a 3-1 series deficit against the Warriors in 2016. Not only was that the Cavaliers' first-ever championship, but it was also the first major professional sports title in Cleveland since 1964.

Had it not been for the Warriors forming one of the most unstoppable dynasties in history, James likely would've brought even more success to Cleveland in those four seasons. In his final year with the Cavs, a 33-year-old James led the league with 36.9 minutes per game, played in all 82 contests, averaged 27.5 points, 9.1 assists, and 8.6 rebounds, and willed Cleveland to a fourth straight NBA Finals. It ended with a sweep by Golden State, but James' ability to carry a side on his own was no longer under question.

1. Heat LeBron

While James has admitted he regrets the way he handled "The Decision," there's no denying that his move to the Heat fundamentally shook the NBA.

By teaming up with fellow 2003 draftees Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in South Beach, James essentially became the face of "The Heatles" and public enemy No. 1 in the Association. Although Wade was the Heat's incumbent star, and the only one in their Big Three with any titles at the time, it was James who dominated that era in Miami.

His scoring took a minor step back as he didn't have to carry the squad solo as he did in Cleveland, but with the forward only just entering his athletic prime, this was perhaps the most unstoppable James has ever looked. LeBron leading the Heat's fast breaks was nightmare fuel for opponents.

It was also in Miami that James really began to refine his outside shot. His 40.6% clip from deep - albeit on just 3.3 attempts per game - in 2012-13 still stands as his best single-season percentage to date.

James may not have achieved the infamously lofty championship goals he laid out during his Miami introduction, but this is still where he accomplished the most success in his career, both individually and teamwise. He claimed two titles in four trips to The Finals - winning Finals MVP on both occasions - and also won two regular-season MVP awards. This was, by far, the best version of James.